Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a stranded conductor cable.
Discussion of Related Art
DE 2444360 was published on 25 Mar. 1976 on behalf of Siemens AG and describes a longitudinally sealed communication cable. The document shows cables which comprise single or group of wires which are aligned in multiple concentric layers, where wires of the same layer have equal distances to the central axis of the cable. Hence the conducting core of the wire has an essentially round shape. The conducting core is covered by an insulating plastic jacket. A sealing agent is filled in by special means that are located in the gaps between the conducting wires.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,143 was published on 29 Sep. 1992 on behalf of Ian Downie and describes a moisture impermeable electric cable. The cable comprises a central wire around which at least one layer of wires is helically wound. The central wire may be a single wire or a stranded wire. All wires that belong to the same layer have essentially the same distance from the central layer. The resulting stranded conducting core is covered by an insulating plastic jacket. The gaps between the conducting wires are filled with a sealing agent by applying a vacuum to one end of the cable while connecting the other end to a reservoir of a liquid filling agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,161 was published on 11 Sep. 1984 on behalf of the Essex Group Inc. and de-scribes a conductor strand. The unilay cable core comprises a dense hexagonal packing of wires with a central core and two surrounding helically shaped layers. The outermost layer comprises in total twelve wires with circular cross-sections—six wires, which have the same diameter than the wires used for the core and the first layer, and in addition six wires with a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the other wires. In the outermost layer, the two wire types are arranged alternately in circumferential direction, which causes an almost circular cross-section of the cable core.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,969 was published on 5 Mar. 1996 on behalf of Ceeco Machinery Manufacturing Ltd. and shows a concentric compressed unilay stranded conductor. According to the invention, the number of wires in adjacent layers in the stranded conductor are integers that are not divisible by a common number with the exception of the integer one. In combination with radial compression of specific layers of wires, it therefore becomes possible to build a conductor with a stale circular cross-section.
JP 1302615 was published on 6 Dec. 1989 on behalf of Hitachi Cable Ltd. and describes a fully compressed conductor with hexagonal packing. In order to prevent snaking and swelling of cables, which may result from non-uniform compression of the wires, wires with smaller diameters are placed at the vertices of the outermost hexagonally shaped layer of wires.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,352 was published on 9 Dec. 1997 on behalf of the Whitaker Corporation and shows a multi-stranded conductor. The strands have serrations around the circumference thereof to inhibit slipping movement (shifts) between adjacent strands, e.g. when used for insulation displacement contacts (IDC).